Budget 2025 freezes permanent residents at 380,000 annually for three years, despite the Immigration Minister's commitment to prioritize temporary residents, increasing official counts by 148,000.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced Wednesday that 148,000 permanent residents will be added to official targets over the next two years through one-off initiatives, including 115,000 refugees and 33,000 work-permit holders who will gain permanent residency in 2026 and 2027.

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The Liberal government will spend nearly $140 million to reduce Canada's temporary resident population, now surpassing three million people, as first reported by Juno News.

Liberals stall immigration plan as system reaches breaking point

Canada’s much-anticipated Immigration Levels Plan was supposed to be tabled in Parliament on Friday. Instead, the Liberals quietly delayed it until budget day — yet another deferral in a growing pattern of… pic.twitter.com/OUV8NBNsDO

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 4, 2025

The Liberals long-awaited budget, released Tuesday, includes a $120 million pledge over four years to grant permanent residency to "eligible protected persons in Canada" as a "one-time measure" over the next two years.

Additionally, the Liberals proposed an extra $19.4 million for IRCC and CBSA to process applications for a “one-time measure” to “accelerate” the transition of “up to” 33,000 work permit holders to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027. 

The total cost amounts to $139.4 million in taxpayer spending, which the Liberals expect to be "offset by higher fee revenues."

That aside, the federal government announced a dramatic cut to temporary residents, halving international student admissions over the next three years while stabilizing permanent resident numbers.

Roughly half of this year's permanent residents are already in Canada, many with work permits. 

Immigration Minister Lena Diab noted these programs "will help ease some of the pressure on our infrastructure and social services.”

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne on immigration in Canada: "We have always welcomed those fleeing the most difficult situations, those who seek to study at our world-class universities." pic.twitter.com/XNLcAZf3if

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 5, 2025

The budget aims to reduce Canada's temporary resident population from 6.2% to under 5% by the end of 2027 by fast-tracking them to permanent residency. It also restated its goal to admit 385,000 new temporary workers and international students next year.

The government plans to bring in 230,000 new workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker or International Mobility Programs. The latter doesn't require businesses to prove a lack of Canadian workers. This number will be reduced to 220,000 annually for the next two years.

They also pledged to welcome 155,000 students in 2026, decreasing to 150,000 in 2027 and 2028. This plan projects 1,125,000 new migrants via work and study permits during that period.

Pierre Poilievre blasts the mass immigration agenda — accusing the Liberals of driving down wages, abusing the student and foreign worker programs and putting globalist interests ahead of Canadians. pic.twitter.com/jOtPUn9g4p

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 30, 2025

The Liberals also aim to boost economic immigration, issuing 239,800 new permits in 2026, and 244,700 in 2027 and 2028, through programs like Federal Skills, Provincial Nominee, and Atlantic Immigration.

They also plan to welcome 84,000 family reunification immigrants in 2026, then 81,000 annually for two years. Additionally, 56,200 refugees, protected persons, humanitarian, and “other” migrants are planned for 2026, followed by 54,300 for the next two years.

The budget lacked specifics on targeted countries of origin or how the program integrates with existing initiatives like the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel or the Hong Kong permanent residence pathway.

Canada plans to admit 1.14 million new permanent residents and projects a total increase of 2.2 million newcomers (temporary and permanent combined) over the next three years.